In 1995, former U.S. Army helicopter pilot Greg Rochna, along with his wife Brenda, made a decision to try and build a better helicopter tour company in a very competitive market. It was a bold mission, considering that the Las Vegas/Grand Canyon helicopter tour market was well established and dominated by several mature players. As it turns out, the couple’s decision to start Maverick Helicopters was one of the best business decisions of their lives. [Read More...]

RPMN: What is your current position?
After spending nearly several years in the HEMS industry, I just recently started flying for a sheriff’s office in southwest Ohio (Cincinnati). I came out of an EC145 in HEMS and am now in an MD500E and MD520N. I greatly enjoyed HEMS, however, it is nice wiggling the stick again and not just pushing buttons and turning knobs. My current position is never boring and allows me to fly much more than I did as a HEMS pilot. [Read More...]

As an AH-64 Apache orbits overhead, the radio crackles to life as someone shouts, "Incoming!" A half second later, a rocket-propelled grenade impacts within yards of a military convoy. Fortunately, personnel on the ground have just enough time to dive for cover. The majority of shrapnel hits sand, with the rest spraying into rocks scattered along the far side of the road. [Read More...]

At HAI HELI-EXPO 2014, we all experienced the buzz of helicopter flight simulation. It is apparent that simulators are being seriously ogled for their technological advancements and safety benefits by primary flight training organizations and commercial operators alike. Just a few decades ago, only the military was able to utilize what was extraordinarily expensive training equipment. Today, computer science advancements and exponential growth in markets like offshore oil and gas exploration have seeded the proliferation of high-quality, affordable simulation technologies. Recently, I had the opportunity to fly one of the simulators that created so much buzz at last year’s Heli-Expo: X-Copter. [Read More...]